1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and a system for data processing. In particular, it is directed to a method and a system for processing a print data stream that is edited for output to a printer device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Editing of a print data stream typically occurs in computers that process print data files or print data from user programs in a printer-adapted fashion. The print data is converted, for example, into an output stream of a specific print data language such as AFP® (Advanced Function Presentation), PCL or PostScript.
The print data in large computing centers is typically compiled (referred to as a spooling event) in a host computer (such as a main frame computer) and print jobs are generated therefrom that are adapted for output to high-performance printing systems such that the high-performance printing systems can have optimum time usage in the production operations. They can thereby be largely utilized in continuous operation.
Such high-performance printers with printing speeds from about 40 DIN A4 pages per minute up to more than 1000 DIN A4 pages per minute are described, for, in the publication “Das Druckerbuch”, edited by Dr. Gerd Goldmann (Océ Printing Systems GmbH), Edition 4C, October 1999, ISBN 3-000-00 1019-X. Chapter 12 of this publication (pages 12-1 through 12-18) of this publication describe the server system known by the name of PRISMA PRO® that serves for editing print data streams in production printing environments.
The AFP format (Advanced Function Presentation) is a typical print data format in electronic production printing environments, this being described, for example, in the publication number S-544-3884-01 of International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) bearing the title “AFP Programming Guide and Line Data Reference.” This publication also describes the specification for a further data stream having the designation “S/370 Line-Mode Data”. The print data stream AFP was developed further into the print data stream MO:DCA that is described in the IBM publication SC31-6802-04 bearing the title “Mixed Object Document Content Architecture Reference”. Details of this data stream, particularly the employment of structured fields, are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,488.
The assignee markets a spooling system for high-performance printing systems under the trademark SPS that is in the position of processing a plurality of different print data streams from different applications, of spooling under different operating systems such as MVS or BS 2000 and converting into a device-oriented data stream such as, for example, IPDS (Intelligent Printer Data Stream).
IBM has created the program known as ACIF with which it is possible to convert and index streams. The ACIF application is described in the IBM brochure G544-3824-00 bearing the title “Conversion and indexing facility application programming guide” as well as in the IBM brochure number S544-5285-00 bearing the title “AFP conversion and indexing facility (ACIF) user's guide”.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,220 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,615 disclose methods and systems wherein interrelated objects of a document are processed via a structured data stream such as MO:DCA or IPDS.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,845 discloses a system with which print data can be sorted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,110 discloses a method for indexing data. U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,750 discloses an archiving system with which printed originals to be archived can be opto-electronically scanned and durably stored in a long-term store such as magnetic tapes or optical storage elements (for example, on a CD-ROM).
The International Patent Application WO-A1-00/68877 filed by the assignee discloses a method and a system with which print data can be edited in a logical page sequence corresponding to a signature for printing in what is referred to as an imposition procedure.
The contents of the above-cited publications and patent applications are herewith incorporated by reference into the present specification.
When outputting print data in high-speed printing applications that are employed, for example, in computer centers or, too, in printing centers for what is referred to as the PoD (Printing on Demand) application, the print data is specifically edited so that is can be processed as fast as possible in the print production environment and ultimately transfer-printed on the recording medium. The data editing thereby mainly ensues in view thereof that the print output meet certain presentation demands of the final consumer (reader of the printed information). Further, users of print data processing programs normally want to assess the generated print data before these are actually printed. In addition to programs that already present the print data in the way it is printed (what are referred to as “what you see is what you get”, WYSIWYG programs), what are referred to as viewing and navigating programs (or, respectively, browsers) are also utilized that enable not only the advance checking of the printer result but also the targeted locating of information on the basis of indexed objects. Such an indexed navigation possibility is advantageous particularly given print processing programs in the aforementioned production environment wherein the print jobs may be extremely large and can comprise several thousand pages. A corresponding program with the name “AFP Workbench for Windows” has been disclosed by IBM.